Container washing apparatus



Jan. 24, 1961 w. DU BRoFF coNTAiNER WASHING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 24, 1958 /N VE/V TOR.'

ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 24, 1961 w. DU BROFF CONTAINER WASHING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed` March 24, 1958 f4 QU Jan. 24, 1961 w. DU BROFF 2,969,073

l CONTAINER WASHING APPARATUS Filed March 24, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet :5

A TTOR/VEVS.

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iVm/MMM CNHAENER WASHRNG APPARATUS Warren Du Breit, Highland Park, Ill., assignor to 'Charles Barancik, Chicago, Ill.

Filed Mar. 24, 1958, Ser. N0. 723,321

'15 Claims. (Cl. 134-152) This invention relates to article washing apparatus of a nature that is adapted to wash containers for beverages.

Many cola drinks are currently dispensed directly into cups from a bulk container. Thus, it yis Iadvantageous to provide a container that can be removably mounted in a dispensing machine in a factory, oliice, gas station, etc. These containers, when empty, are removed from the machine and returned to `the beverage manu.- facturer for cleaning and refilling. The containers ordinarily provided are made of metal and have a capped mouth, with a pair of valves in the rtop `,wall of the c ontainer. When the beverage is to be dispensed, both valves are opened, one to permit outow of liquid, -the other to permit inow of air. Heretofore, the washing of these containers has been a laborious operation, since all vestiges of the previous beverage charge mus-t be removed in order to avoid contamination. Particularly difcult in the washing operation is the cleaning of the valves -themselves. Here, it is to be appreciated that the valves are essential to the use of the containers, since it is through them that the syrup is introduced and dispensed. In the past, the necessary thorough cleaning of the valves resulted in time-consuming, complex washing operations. It would be desirable to perform the washing of s uch a container in a simple, expeditious manner, and such is one of the objectivesl of this invention.

Another object is to provide ya Anovel washing apparatus for washing containers. Still another Objectis to provide a novel washing apparatus involving supporting an article to be washed on a reversible wall .of a washing enclosure which permits supporting a second container on the reversible wall during the period an alreadymounted container is being washed, Y et another object is to provide an apparatus which supports `an article to be washed on a door of the apparatus and combines means for distributing cleansing solution with the support means. A further object is to provide an apparatus of the nature described in the Objt immediately preceding which is particularly suited for cleaning ,the valves of the containers of the character described hereinbefore. A still further object is to provide Aapparatus for washing containers, the containers being equipped with nora mally closed valves in which support means provide guides for the secure positioning lof the container as well as maintaining the valves in an open .condition and discharging cleansing fluid therethrough.

A yet further object is to provide an apparatus of Ythe character described in the object immediately preceding in which the means supporting and tlushing the valves is detachably couplable to spray piping within the washing enclosure. A further object is to provide articlewashing apparatus embodying novel drain means which permits reuse of cleansing solution while expending rinsing Water- Another Obir'ct iS t9 provide in artislewashing apparatus a novel reversible door structure equipped with novel latching means. Other objects and advan- 2,969,073 Patented Jan. 24, 1961 tages, both general and specific, can be seen as this specitication proceeds.

'This invention will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in Which- Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of this invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevational view, Vpartly broken away to show details of a drain Valve arrangement; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the washing liquid piping provided as part of the apparatus; Fig. 4 is a cross.- sectional view of the apparatus looking downward on the structure; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of an article which can be washed by the apparatus; Fig. -6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line .6 6 of Fig. .4; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, `in the illustration given the numeral 10 designates generally a washing enclosure. Enclosure .or housing 11i is seen to be essentially rectangular, and one wall thereof, designated 11, is equipped with a door 12 fitting into a rectangular open.- -ing 13 (designated only in Fig. 4) in wall 11. Door 12 is supported in a pivotal, swingable fashion from housing 10 by means of arms 14 and 15. For this purpose, a pair of supporting sleeves 16 (seen only in Fig. 2) are secured to housing 1t) by means of suitable bolts.

Each bearing sleeve 16 rotatably receives an L-shaped arm, designated 14 for the upper arm, and 15 for the lower arm. The ends of arms 14 and 15 remote from sleeve 16 are equipped with bearing sleeves 17 and 18, respectively. Sleeve 18 acts as a thrust bearing to carry the weight of door 12 in addition to receiving a vertically-extending post 19 from door 12. A similar post 20 is rotatably received within sleeve 17 above door 12. Posts 17 and 18 are located on the Vertical center line of door 12 so it will be appreciated that either face of door 12 may be directed inwardly of housing 1d; vIt will be appreciated that the desirable results of having a reversible door can be obtained whenever the door is mounted in a swingable, pivotal fashion about the center axis thereof. For example, the axis of mounting can be the horizontal center line of the door, which may be the arrangement indicated where an elongated article to be washed is mounted with its long dimension horizontal, as contrasted to the vertical disposition of container 21 in the illustration given.

A Vcontainer 21 is .shown mounted on door 12, the container being disposed in a mouth-downward condition, with thecap 22 and collar 23 (seen only in Fig. 5)

removed therefrom. Container 21 is equipped with a pair of normally closed valves 24 extending outwardly from the end face thereof equipped with mouth 25. These valves are equipped with spring loaded stems (not shown) which maintain the valves in a closed condition unless an axially inward force is applied to the outer end portions of the stems. This type of valve structure is believed to be well known to those skilled in the art, so that a detailed discussion herein is not required. Such a container and valve structure may be seen in Patent No. 2,840,089.

The mouth-equipped end of container 21 is seen to be supported on door 12 by means of a support structure 26. Support structure Z6 includes two identical portions, one for each side of door 12, as can be appreciated from Fig. 1, where one of the portions is shown in dotted line. Since the two portions are identical, it is believed necessary to describe only one portion thereof. Extending outwardly of `door 12 is pipe 27, which at its outer extremity communicates with a pipe parallel to the door 28 and. thus, in effect, provides. a T configuration. The ends of pipe 2,3 are equipped with risers 29 which are shown in greater detail in Fig. 6. Pipe 27 is equipped with a depending pipe 30 :terminating in a female titting 31.

The interior of housing 10 4is seen to be equipped with a system of spray piping, generally designated 32, which is adapted to direct liquid at various angles against a container 21 supported within housing 10. The piping system 32 is equipped with an upstanding stub pipe 33 equipped with a telescoping portion 34, all of which can be seen in detail in Fig. 7. Pipe 34 is equipped at its upper end with a male fitting 35 which is adapted to mate with female fitting 31 when pipe 34 is in an elevated position and against the urging of spring 36 disposed between pipes 34 and 33.

Door 12 is also provided with a pair of identical laterally-extending lugs 37 which, when the door is closed in housing 1t), mate with keeper 38 and latch 39. Because of the identity of lugs 37, it will be apparent that either face of the door can be secured inwardly of the housing by means of keeper 38 and latch 39. The door 12 is provided on each face thereof with a pivotallymounted clamping bar 46 which is adapted to engage an upwardly-extending lip 21a of container 2t) when the container is in an inverted condition, and thus secure container 21 against lateral movement. Aiding in maiutaining container 21 in an inLnobile condition is an outwardly-extending abutment member 41 which is inwardly arcuately curved as at 41a (best seen in Fig. 4) to accommodate the circular peripheries of container 21. Door 21 is also provided with two pairs of wire baskets 42 which are employed to accommodate the cap 22 and collar 23 of container 21 when the same is mounted on door 12 for washing.

Housing 10 at the bottom thereof is provided with a compartmented receptacle generally designated 43. One compartment 44 is adapted to contain a cleansing solution, while the other compartment 45 (best seen in Fig. 2) is adapted to receive and discharge to a sewer the rinsing water from housing 10. A drain outlet 46 is provided in the bottom wall of housing 10, as can be seen from a consideration of Fig. 2. It is desirable to conserve the cleansing solution, since this is considerably more expensive than the rinsing water and is reusable. For that purpose, recirculation piping 47 connects compartment 44 with a three-way 'valve 48. Three-way valve 48 is also connected to a source of rinsing water through pipe 49 which, for example, might lead to a water main.

The discharge 50 from three-way valve 48 leads into housing i@ and into the spray piping system 32. To selectively discharge washing liquid from housing 10 into compartment 44 or 45, as the case may be (compartment 45 being drained to the sewer through pipe 51), housing l is equipped with a butterfly valve 52 which is pivotally mounted in housing and provided with an extended shaft as at 53. Eccentrically connected to extended shaft 53 is arm 54, which is reciprocably actuated by solenoid 55 mounted on the rear wall of housing 10. Signals to solenoid 55 are provided from a timer mechanism 56 also mounted on the rear wall of housing 10.

To further illustrate the invention, a description of the operation of the apparatus just described is given below.

Operation.

To initiate a washing operation, a container 21 is positioned on one face of door 12, which may be either in an open or closed condition with respect to housing 10. The container 2i is supported on door 12 by means of the support members 57 with which upper ends of pipes 29 are provided (see Fig. 6). Support members 57 are threadedly received within pipes 29. Each member 57 is generally of a cup-shaped configuration, having a number of low ports 57a in the base thereof disposed about an upstanding post rl" he side wall of member 57 is beveled as at 57b to provide ready centering of a valve 24 when the same is to be inserted into member 57. The entire weight of a container 21 is thus supported by members 47, the lateral stability being provided by abutment member 41 and clamping bar 40. The cap 22 and collar 23 of a container 21 so mounted can be placed in the wire baskets 42 associated with that side of the door carrying a given container 21.

If during the mounting of a container 21 just described, the door is closed and latched to housing 10, the latch 39 is then pivoted upwardly about its pivotal mounting on housing 10 as at 39a to disengage one of the lugs 37. Door 12 thereafter is swung outwardly and pivoted about its vertical axis so as to direct the face thereof having a container 21 just secured thereto in a position inwardly of housing 10. Thereafter, one lug 37 is engaged with keeper 38 and the other lug is latched by latch 39.

The timing mechanism 56 is then actuated, which orients three-way valve 48 so as to cause cleansing solution from compartment 44 to flow into the system of piping 32 within housing 1t). When this liquid tiows into pipe 33 (see Fig. 7), it exerts a pressure on the underside of male fitting 35 and causes pipe 34 to rise to the dotted position designated 34a. Liquid within pipe 33 issues from fitting 35 through an orifice 35a, and the pressure of the liquid against the underside of fitting 35 is sufficient to compress spring 36. A sealed relationship between pipes 34 and 33 is elfected through the provision of an O-ring seal as at 33a. The rise of pipe 34 to the dotted position shown in Fig. 7 establishes a coupling relationship between male fitting 35 and female fitting 31, thus delivering washing liquid to the system of piping supported on the door and which is separate from the piping system 32 within housing 10.

At the end of the portion of the cycle in which a cleansing solution is directed in and about container 21, the timing mechanism delivers signals to solenoid 55 and three-way valve 48, causing each of these to shift to an alternative position. Solenoid 55 turns butterfly valve 52 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 so as vto direct the rinsing liquid now being delivered to and drained from housing 10 to a sewer through pipe 5i.

Three-way valve 48, which now is in the condition for receiving water for rinsing from a supply main, again causes pipe 34 to rise within pipe 33 and reestablish a sealed coupling between male iitting 35 and female f1tting 31. However, it is to be appreciated that coupling between these two iittings can be achieved mechanically, as where latch 39 would be provided with means for raising pipe 34.

Equally satisfactory results can be obtained when three-way valve 48 is replaced with a T and the inflow of rinsing water through pipe 49 is regulated through a conventional solenoid-operated valve. The ow from tank 43 into recirculation pipe 47 is provided as before by means of a pump (not shown), the pump outlet being equipped with a check valve.

The liquid delivered to pipe 33 is directed inwardly of container 21 through valves 24, since these valves are maintained in an open condition by means of post 29a (seen only in Fig. 6) bearing against the movable stern of a valve 24 received within support member 57.

While, in the foregoing specification, a detailed description of an embodiment of the invention has been given for the purpose of completely explaining the in- Vention, it will be apparent that those skilled in the art may make numerous modifications and variations in the details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In article Washing apparatus, a housing equipped with washing liquid supply conduit means coupled to a source therefor, said housing having an article entrance opening, said opening being symmetrical about a central axis thereof, a door pivotally mounted on said housing and adapted to close said opening with either face of said door directed inward of said housing, said door having a perimetric shape conforming to said opening and the pivotal mounting of said door permitting said door to be rotated on an axis thereof parallel to the said central axis of said opening, both faces of said door being equipped with article supporting means whereby, when one article is positioned inward of said housing, the external face of said door permits unloading therefrom of an already-washed article and loading thereon of the next article to be washed.

2. The structure of claim 1, in which the said supporting means is couplable to said washing liquid supply conduit means in said housing.

3. In apparatus for washing a can 4equipped with a mouth in one end and a valve outstanding from said end spaced from Said mouth, said valve being openable by axially inward movement of the stem thereof, a housing equipped with spray piping for directing Washing liquid externally and internally of said can, a door for said housing mounted for rotation about a central axis thereof and for movement of its axis laterally of said housing, means on each side of said door for supporting said can in a mouth-downward condition, said supporting means including a cup-shaped member adapted to receive said valve, said member having an upstanding post in the central bottom thereof and spray ports for washing liquid disposed about said post, and conduit means for communicating said spray piping with said spray ports.

4. The structure of claim 3, in which a pair of such members is provided, each adapted to receive a valve extending from said can, said members providing the sole vertical support means for said can.

5. The structure of claim 3, in which said member is detachably connected with said piping.

6. The structure of claim 5, in which said member is equipped with a projecting tting adapted to mate with la fitting in said piping when said door is in a closed position.

7. The structure of claim 6, in which the second mentioned fitting is retractable into said piping.

8. The structure of claim 7, in which said second mentioned itting is extended from said piping and thereby adapted to enter into mating engagement with the rst mentioned fitting upon application of liquid pressure in said piping.

9. The structure of claim 8, in which said second mentioned fitting is mounted in the end of a length of pipe, said second mentioned fitting having a single discharge port therein of lesser cross-sectional area than the area of said pipe, said pipe being urged into sealing, telescoping relation with said piping.

10. In apparatus for washing beverage syrup containers, and the like, a housing having an entrance opening, a door swingably, pivotally mounted on said housing to close said opening with either face of said door oriented inwardly of said housing, a system of spray piping mounted in said housing and adapted to direct washing liquid internally and externally of a container supported on said door, support means on both faces of said door to support a can in position to be washed by liquid from said spray piping, spray piping on said door adapted to deliver washing liquid to valves of said container, and means 6 for detachably coupling said door spray piping to the first mentioned spray piping.

1l. In article washing apparatus, a housing having an entrance opening, a door mounted on said housing for closing said opening, said door having means on both faces thereof for supporting an article to be washed, said door being equipped with a pair of laterally-extending arms pivotally attached to said housing on opposite sides of said opening, said arms also being pivotally secured 'to the opposite edges of said door and on a central axis thereof, and conduit means in said housing coupled to a Washing liquid source for washing an article supported on said door.

l2. The structure of claim ll in which the said door is equipped with aligned latch means in a pair of opposite edges thereof and said opening in the sides thereof mating with said opposite edges is equipped with means for securing said latch means.

13. The structure of claim ll in which said door is rotatable about the vertical central axis thereof.

14. In washing apparatus for containers having a normally closed valve projecting from one end thereof, a generally rectangular, upstanding housing equipped with an opening in a vertical side Wall thereof, a door for said opening, a pair of spaced-apart arms pivotally mounted on the outside of said housing and supporting said door for rotation about the vertical axis thereof, whereby said door is pivotable away from said housing and thereupon rotatable about said axis, valve opening means on both sides of said door, said valve opening means comprising liquid piping spaced above the lower edge of said door and engageable with said valve when said one end is positioned downwardly, and liquid supply piping in said housing communicating with a source of Washing liquid, said supply piping comprising extensible means communicable with the liquid piping positioned only inward of said housing.

l5. The structure of claim 14 in which said containers are each equipped with a pair of spaced-apart valves in the said one end and said door is equipped with a pair of similarly spaced-apart valve opening means on both sides of said door, each of said valve opening means being adapted to receive a valve of the container and provide the sole vertical support for the container.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 910,882 Truesdell Jan. 26, 1909 1,110,973 Tischler Sept. 15, 1914 1,757,807 Mack May 6, 1930 1,763,904 Rouse June 17, 1930 1,954,222 Olson Apr. 10, 1934 2,059,997 Kaestner Nov. 3, 1936 2,558,628 Redin June 26, 1951 2,575,493 Hilliker Nov. 20, 1951 2,604,896 Cozzoli July 29, 1952 2,713,866 Kaye July 26, 1955 2,840,089 Faust June 24, 1958 

